Not Vertigo, obvs., but this is akin to why I stopped Munro-bagging.
Before I go on, I'll say I am most sorry that climbers have died. Mountaineering has its risks, and I've had a couple of falls, but it's always sad to lose people on the hill. I've known people who've died. There are no words, but they're in my heart.
The reports I've seen have said up to one and a half hours queueing, not twelve. And you are not going to ascend in 200mph winds - you cannot stand against them on the flat so, close to the summit of the world, it's not going to happen; it's all about weather windows, as Alex points out. They do limit permits, but I suspect money talks.
So, to return to my thought...
I love going up hills and mountains and, at one time, I was effectively paid to traverse them (as a wildlife manager). I've climbed (again, I suspect, not to Vertigo's levels), scrambled, and walked up several in more than a couple of countries, for work and fun. But, I hated how people were encouraged to go up different peaks just for a 'tick'. I even bought into it for a short while, until I realised I was more interested in enjoying the beauty of the world than racing up yet another summit just to say I had done it.
On a (very much) related note, so many more are going up Everest, but other high peaks are being ignored by trophy hunters, because they're not as high.
I would love to do some high peaks, but only as a personal challenge, and to see more of the world*. And in a small group, not en masse. However, I find this commercialisation of...I was going to write mountains but, really, it's any and every part of...the natural world, making what should be a personal achievement (and a moment of pleasure) nothing more than a line in a CV, distasteful.
I'm all for 'higher, further, faster', by the way. It's just that I believe in pushing to be a better person, and seeing the beauty along the way, without shrivelling any more of my soul along the way. Ramble, scramble, and dangle for yourself, not for an image, or a corporate outfit.
*Alas, the highest peaks may be out, due to lung scarring, and progressive arthritis, both of which are exacerbated by altitude and pressure changes.